At the Eurasian Economic Union summit in Astana, Aliaksandr Lukashenka commented on a statement by Ukraine’s Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert Brovdi, that Ukraine had identified 500 targets on Belarusian territory. The question was put to the Belarusian ruler by Russian propagandist Pavel Zarubin. A video of the exchange was published by Lukashenka’s press service. Lukashenka described statements by the Ukrainian side, including those made by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as “empty talk.”
“They may well have identified 500 targets. Thank you — we have 500 targets for them as well. We have one very serious target, with precise coordinates. And it is not far from Belarus. They understand that too. That is the first point. Second, you know, the president’s talk — forgive me for saying this, Volodymyr Aleksandrovych — but it is just some kind of empty talk,” Lukashenka said.
In his view, Ukraine’s military does not want a war with Belarus because it would mean an additional 1,000 kilometres of front line.
“And the positions of the military differ. Ukraine’s military does not want any war with Belarus. I know that for certain because they understand that this would mean an additional 1,000 kilometres of front line, the Belarus-Ukraine border — and it is not a simple border. Do they need that? No. Third, he says he sees 500 targets. Well, if he is not blind, he probably sees even more. But he should understand that we see who is standing on the border on the other side. These are people picked up off the streets, poor Ukrainians, and fighters of the so-called territorial defence — yesterday’s workers, machine operators, collective farm workers and so on. What kind of soldiers are they? They are cannon fodder. So we clearly see that this is empty talk,” he said.
Brovdi has previously issued sharp warnings to Lukashenka on several occasions. In his latest post on the subject, he wrote: “To the Minsk gauleiter Lukashesku: a barking dog does not bite. A bird of prey is different. The first 500 targets are already marked. A free and very practical piece of advice: stay out of Ukraine’s sight.”
On May 16, Brovdi accused Lukashenka of complicity in the killing of Ukrainian civilians, pointing to the use of Belarusian territory by Russian Shahed drones.
“A corridor for killers = complicity = retribution,” he wrote at the time.
The following day, he added: “Lukashesku, take a close look at your prospects.”
